Dinner in Roma

Dinner the night before the cooking class was just up one of the 7 little hills that are in and around Roma accessed by the Spanish Steps.
The view from the restaurant on the top floor in the ancient Villa Medici was magic.
St. Peter's and the Vatican City just off to our right, the Pantheon in front and the Colosseo just over one of the other little hills to our left with an array of illuminated domes dotting the rest of the Roma city night skyline.

It's was a 2 Michelin restaurant Imago and what a great way to be spoiled with Italian food on our second last night in Italy.
Had to put a second Mortgage on the house to afford the water!!!! Let alone the food ! So when we left with the second bottle only 1/2 used tucked under the arm the looks from some of the restaurant guests on the floor was interesting.

I told them that in Australia at our town we are going through a very bad drought and that we are now having to water our gardens by buckets and that the water was worth more to us than the truffle on tonight's menu.
We seamed to hit a nerve and many people also gestured that they too as Roman should respect and conserve the water a bit more.

The food was amazing and the plating was spectacular but with the iPad it looks "crap" so that will have to be one of those slide nights from Sandy's camera when we are back home over a Procecco or two.

So some words to describe it till then
Now remember all are little tastes as it sounds like a lot of food.

Breads as alway on the Italian table but tonight was an event in itself served in a metal dish with a candle under to keep them warm and a linen cloth cover to keep them fresh (fantastic must say we have had some dodgy bread as part of your coperto "which is a varying price charge to sit at the table")
So to nights Coperto was amazing
Sourdough, rye, grainy and some beautiful leaves full of sesame seeds
Plus thin straws served with boratta a creamy cheese. We are getting wise so while they all looked great we didn't eat any of them knowing what was to come.

Then 4 exquisite little plates of 2 delicate tasty morsel came out not that ordered them they are just part of the gig. Little show off for the chef...penne pasta tube lined with tomato and then filled with a tasty ricotta and cheese mix then deep fried and a drizzel of very aged balsamic amazingly delicate and detailed...2 little flying saucer shaped pastry filled with shredded duck, tempura quail eggs and a sushi with a disc of jellied tomato topped with tuna.
But wait another little dish then arrived as a welcome dish....we haven't even started with what we have ordered yet....so this as again teeny tiny but amazing..and for us the dish of the night..in the bottom was a crumb with a soft olive taste then a thin seeweed jelly disc with gave it a salty balance all topped with a silly moose of rockmelon and finished with pickled ginger and micro herbs...his take on the typical Italian melon and ham starer. He was very inventive using a lot of Asian influences giving Italian a twist....

And this was all just the free stuff than we had a starter of risotto for sandy and a pasta for me and  and a main we both decided on the duck breast.
 Said no to dessert but that didn't stop them bring out so little pette fours
Oh and than a present for the lady an exquisite tiny box with a berry cup cake to take home.

After it was all said and done we came to the conclusion that Italian food really should not be messed with. It's not so pretty on the plate but the flavours and ingredients speak for them selves. We don't believe it should have an Asian twist, some fusions just don't work.

We left and made our way down the Spanish steps with not a tourist in site so we sat quietly and soaked in the view.